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LeBron James is 38 years old and coming off the 20th season of his legendary career. At some point, he is going to hang up the sneakers, even if he remains among the game’s best at an advanced age.
That retirement likely won’t come this offseason after his Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, but he at least turned some heads during the ensuing press conference.
“I got a lot to think about, to be honest, and just for me personally going forward the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about,” he told reporters.
Michael Corvo @michaelcorvoNBA
LeBron wrapped up his press conference by saying he has “a lot to think about” regarding his personal future in basketball pic.twitter.com/IiFW3EWXYX
James has discussed his desire to play with his son, Bronny, multiple times, and that couldn’t happen until after the 2024 NBA draft. He was also still effective this season as an All-NBA third-team selection who averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals.
Sure, he’s lost a step from his prime. And there are nights when he seems to be slightly more fatigued than he was when he was dominating on the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
But he still has all-time great spurts, including in Monday’s game when he posted 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while trying to fend off a sweep.
Yet, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has little left to prove after a career that features four championships, four MVPs and a laundry list of accomplishments. If nothing else, he has something to think about this offseason.
